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from the never-used-that-excuse-before dept.
Why does sex exist when organisms that clone themselves use less time and energy, and do not need a mate to produce offspring? Researchers at the University of Stirling aiming to answer this age-old question have discovered that sex can help the next generation resist infection.
Populations that clone themselves are entirely female and do not need sex to reproduce. As sex requires males, and males do not produce offspring themselves, an entirely clonal population should always reproduce faster than a sexual one.
Yet while some animal and plant species can reproduce without sex, such as komodo dragons, starfish and bananas, sex is still the dominant mode of reproduction in the natural world.
Scientists know that sex allows genes to mix, allowing populations to quickly evolve and adapt to changing environments, including rapidly evolving parasites.
However, for sex to beat cloning as a reproduction strategy, there must be large-scale benefits that make a difference to the next generation. The theory has been difficulty to test as most organisms are either wholly sexual or clonal so cannot be compared easily.
A team of experts from the University of Stirling have taken an innovative approach to test the costs and benefits of sex. Using an organism that can reproduce both ways, the waterflea, researchers found sexually produced offspring were more than twice as resistant to infectious disease as their clonal sisters.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by DannyB on Thursday December 22 2016, @08:18PM
The question in the first sentence is answered. I was about to give an explanation about genetic diversity in the population.
So I'll give this answer instead. Because sex is more fun that cloning. Yet there are plenty of people researching cloning.
If your boy is chewing on electrical cords, then ground him until he conducts himself properly.
(Score: 1) by Ethanol-fueled on Thursday December 22 2016, @09:32PM
The irony is that when polygamous humans have sex for fun more often, they expose themselves to more diseases -- including the kind that don't go away.
In other words, when they engage in "Tinder-style" dating.
Even knew a guy who caught crabs once (which is even more skanky in a way, because it implies lack of regular hygiene). Said it itched "like fire."
(Score: 4, Funny) by krishnoid on Thursday December 22 2016, @10:08PM
Because sex is more fun that cloning. Yet there are plenty of people researching cloning.
"I'm sorry honey, I'll be home late tonight. I'm still in the lab doing cloning research. What? Why do you keep saying I'm stupid?"
(Score: 2) by tangomargarine on Thursday December 22 2016, @10:30PM
Apparently if a female komodo dragon doesn't have male company she'll even get herself pregnant in order to get somebody around to have sex with. And due to genetics, the offspring of said clone pregnancy will only ever be male.
"Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"